Political Quotes

“Madam President, my colleague and friend, Senator Merkley, has spoken very eloquently about Ben Westlund, and I wanted to echo those thoughts and reflect on Ben's special and unique style and warmth. All of us who have been around government and politics know the challenge of the early-morning meeting. Folks are a little bit sleep- deprived, they are looking for coffee, and maybe they are just trying to keep their eyes open at 7:30 or 8 a.m. Senator Merkley and I want to tell you a little bit about how Ben Westlund handled those meetings. Ben Westlund was able to master, like everything else, the challenge of the early-morning meeting in government. I am sure Senator Merkley remembers that even at that early hour, Ben Westlund would bound to the podium--would not walk, he would bound to the podium--and at the top of his lungs, Ben Westlund would shout: Good morning, Oregon. Good morning, folks. How are you doing? And within a matter of seconds, as Senator Merkley remembers, the entire room would be smiling and everybody would feel like attacking the challenge of the day. That was Ben Westlund. As Senator Merkley noted, he was always on the offensive against injustice, always speaking out, for example, on health care. Ben Westlund lived his life in full view. He shared his battle with cancer with his colleagues in the State legislature because he wanted everybody to know what it was like to try to wrestle with an illness.…”